State to provide funding for four new food distribution centers

SARATOGA SPRINGS -- The state is making $3.6 million available to create four new food distribution centers that link small farms and growers to large buyers.

New facilities are proposed for the North Country, the Mid-Hudson Valley, Finger Lakes and Central New York.

So-called "food hubs" were a major topic of discussion at a recent Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group conference, at Saratoga Springs City Center, with more than 400 people on hand from Maine to West Virginia.

However, a food hub gives multiple farmers a means to market their produce collectively.

In the process, they also promote farmland preservation by helping farms stay in business.

"Mid-size farms are really the major land holders in the Hudson Valley," Sarah Brennan, of Upstream Advisors, told growers. "New York City is the biggest food market in the country. There is room for growth."

However, only a small percentage of the food consumed in the densely-populated Northeast is locally grown. A well-run food hub can put more of it on people's plates.

More than $826,000 in state funding will go toward the Hudson Valley Food Hub, in Kingston, which will expand the infrastructure of two existing food processing and distribution firms -- Farm to Table Co-Packers and Hudson Valley Harvest. With additional processing equipment, cold-freezer storage, trucks and distribution depots, these two businesses will have expanded capacity to meet the growing demand for local food from customers in New York City and throughout the Northeast.

The Hudson Valley Food Hub will have more than 60 farms from 19 counties that work more than 7,500 acres. Products coming through the food hub include vegetables, berries, fruits, beef, pork, chicken, lamb, goat, honey, maple syrup, grains, beans, cider and eggs.

Plans call for other new centers in Canton, Canastota and Groton (Finger Lakes). Some money will be used to upgrade an existing facility in Riverhead, Suffolk County.

Cuomo's office said the proposed new facilities will create 150 jobs and provide branding, processing and storage services.

"These four new food distribution hubs are an important investment in our state's agricultural sector and economy," Cuomo said. "Above all, they will help distribute products, expanding consumer markets for New York farmers while improving access to healthy, fresh and locally-produced food for our families."

Agriculture is one of New York's leading industries. The state ranks second in the nation in the production of cabbage, apples and maple syrup; third in the production of wine and grape juice, and corn silage; fourth in milk; and fifth in fresh market vegetable production.

Last year, he hosted two separate "summits" in Albany, one for the state's fast-growing Greek yogurt industry and another for micro-breweries.

State Agriculture Commissioner Darrell Aubertine said, "When New Yorkers buy local products, they stimulate local economies and help provide jobs for their neighbors. Food hubs provide a valuable service in helping to bring local products to market."